Scientists are reporting development of a revolutionary new lens -- flat, distortion-free, so small that more than 1,500 would fit across the width of a human hair -- capable in the future of replacing lenses in applications ranging from cell phones to cameras to fiber-optic communication systems. The advance could lead to smart phones as thin as a credit card

Sounds somewhat less than useful. A human hair is about .004 inch, or .1mm . This would make each individual lens about 60 nanometers (I think- my abacus is in need of oiling, so I may have slipped a decimal point) . Good depth of field there, but you might run into some diffraction problems. Might also have some problems passing visible light.

Although the new lens is ultra-thin, it has a resolving power that actually approaches the theoretical limits set by the laws of optics. The lens surface is patterned with tiny metallic stripes which bend light differently as one moves away from the center, causing the beam to sharply focus without distorting the images. The current version of the lens works at a specific design wavelength, but the scientists say it can be redesigned for use with broad-band light.